


So Far Away, But Still At Home

by eviternalism



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Human Keith (Voltron), M/M, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2018-12-27 09:13:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12078066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eviternalism/pseuds/eviternalism
Summary: A drunken Keith stumbles into his old house and crashes onto a bed that used to be his. Lance, the new tenant, finds himself in the complicated situation of making the intruder understand that they can't share the bed.Based on the viral video in which a stranger wakes up in someone else's bed and is invited to crash for the night.{status: hiatus/to be re-written}





	1. Intruder

Lance watched his own eyes go wide in the mirror’s reflection the moment he heard a loud thump from downstairs. Slowly, he lowered his toothbrush onto the sink and spit out the toothpaste in his mouth.

“Not a ghost.” He whispered to himself, hoping to believe it if he said it out loud. “It’s just a random sound, probably from the floorboards adjusting to the cold or something. Or maybe the neighbor’s cat figured out how to get on the roof, but it’s not a ghost.”

Taking a deep breath, he looked at himself in the mirror and tried to calm his nerves. He forced a small smile and the awkwardness of the image itself was enough to make him chuckle a bit. After patting his face down with a towel and hitting the light switch, he turned on his heel to head out the bathroom door, only to freeze in his tracks as he heard footsteps on the staircase.

In a blind panic, Lance jumped right back into the bathroom and tried to decide between locking himself in there and calling nine-one-one, or removing the shower curtain rod to use as a weapon. As he saw a silhouette slowly form in his bedroom window, he found it harder and harder to make a move. The only thing he could think of was how that silhouette was not his roommate, Hunk, who had left a day ago to spend the weekend with his family.

And so, Lance just helplessly watched as a complete stranger walked into his room, seemingly without even realizing Lance was right there. The intruder seemed to be in a daze as he walked over to the bed and got into the covers, muttering something along the lines of “Don’t remember that being there”.

Completely astounded and confused, Lance stared at the tired teenager sprawled underneath his blue comforter and sheets. He realized it wasn’t a ghost or a robber, but instead, a drunk college student. It took him a while to return his jaw back to normal, but he took a minute to wildly gesture at nobody in particular, waving his arms about in confusion.

Slowly, he regained his senses and walked up to the stranger in his bed. “Uh,” he stepped closer, “hey man. I– I think you might be lost.”

To his surprise, the stranger replied by shushing him.

Lance stared at the stranger and pondered on his audacity for a second before moving a few steps away and dialling a number on his phone.

“Hello?” A tired, but familiar voice replied from the other side of the line.

“Hunk, hey!” Lance clutched tightly onto the phone and spoke directly into the receiver, “I’ve got a weird situation here, listen–”

“Is this another one of your weird midnight existential questions?” his roommate questioned. ‘Because I really don’t think this is the time, man.’

“No dude, this is serious!” Lance spoke up, causing the intruder to pull the covers over his head. “Some random, drunken upperclassman just appeared here in the house and I think he’s trying to crash in my room. Do you have anything to do with this?”

“Wait, shit.” Hunk paused and his tone became increasingly worried, “Lance, are you telling me someone broke in?”

“No, I mean, I don’t think so?” The tired freshman turned to look back onto the sleeping figure in his bed. “I didn’t hear him force or break anything, in fact, I think he may have come through that window in the kitchen that I can slip through.” _We really need to fix that_ , he thought to himself.

“A total stranger?!” Hunk asked.

“Kinda?” Lance answered, “I think I’ve seen him around campus but I don’t know him or anything.”

“Well, then, tell him to leave?” Hunk offered.

“I, uh, yeah. Okay, I’m going to try that.” Decidedly, Lance inched closer to the bed again. “Listen, if I don’t say get back to you in 10 minutes, you should call the cops.”

“Okay, man.” Hunk replied, his voice serious. “Good luck.”

Lance hung up and looked over at the sleeping student. Mustering his courage, he reached over and gave the stranger’s shoulder a light shake. “Hey man, you need to get up.”

The upperclassman shook off his hand, prompting Lance to pull his shoulder over to his side, rolling the intruder onto his back. “Dude, do you even know me?” The stranger mumbled something incoherent which made Lance lighten up, realizing the silliness of the situation he was currently in. “Dude, get up! This isn’t your bed.”

“Be quiet, some people are trying to sleep here.” The upperclassman replied in an annoyed murmur.

Lance couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I don’t even know you! Look, you must’ve gotten lost on your way home, let me help you.”

“Look, as much as I appreciate that,” the boy mumbled, “I’m going to sleep now.”

“No, dude!” Lance tried his best to talk between his laughter, “Do you even know where you are right now? ”

“Will you get off my case already?” The other boy hissed, annoyed. “I’m in my bed, that’s where I am!”

“Except that this isn’t your bed, dude!” Lance shouted with a wide grin. “Geez, how does this even happen? Man, you’re going to be so confused when you wake up tomorrow…”

“Okay, fine, now shhh.”

“No, dude, this is not okay!” Lance made a move to reach over to the stranger’s shoulder, only for the other boy to turn over and look Lance right in the eye.

“I pay taxes to sleep in this bed, not to be disrespected like this,” the stranger replied with complete seriousness. Lance burst out laughing.

Catching his breath, Lance replied to the drowsy-looking stranger, “Look, man, you can crash here if you need to, but you can’t sleep here in my bed, alright?”

The drunken boy blinked once, twice, and then closed his eyes, drifting back to sleep, lying completely still.

“I can’t fucking believe this.” Lance breathed out, traces of laughter still in his voice. “Nah, man, you’ve got to go.”

Pulling off the comforter from the stranger, Lance managed to wake him up again. He pulled the sleepy boy up by his shoulders, but the stranger remained motionless for a few seconds, causing Lance to awkwardly cradle him for two seconds before he sat up correctly.

“I cannot believe you are kicking me out of my own–”

“Get up, let’s go!” Lance commanded, cutting him off. Luckily, the sleepy upperclassman was finally doing as told. However, when getting on his feet, the drunken boy seemed to have some trouble staying upright. “Oh, whoa there! Okay, just try to find your balance… yeah, there you go.”

As Lance lead the stranger out, the boy stumbled and reached for the younger boy’s hand. Lance rose an eyebrow at the gesture but allowed him to hold his hand as they made their way down the single flight of stairs.

The stranger still had the audacity to grumble under his breath, “Unbelievable…”

“Yeah, I’ll say!” Lance chuckled and switched on the living room light. “Listen, I’m not going to kick you out, okay? It’s late and you’re obviously wasted so you can crash here for the night.” He motioned at the couch.

But the other boy was not paying attention, rather, he was squinting as he looked around the living room and kitchen.

“Hey,” Lance said, gently, “what’s your name?”

The boy was silent for a few seconds before facing Lance again. “Keith.”

“Cool, I’m Lance.” He separated their intertwined hands to give the upperclassman a handshake. “Do you… do you how or why you wound up here?”

“I used to live here.” Keith clutched at his forehead, seemingly feeling a growing migraine. “That’s how I knew about the kitchen window. I can’t believe nobody has fixed the lock since we left two years ago”

“Oh, you must be Shiro’s brother then?” Lance guessed, seeing some sort of resemblance between them.

“Brother?” Keith murmured, musing on the term with a small smile. “Well, something like that.”

It seemed to be enough of answer for Lance, who darted up the stairs again. “I’ll bring you a blanket and pillow, hold on!”

Left alone, Keith gave the room another once-over, his head feeling a little clearer despite a migraine slowly forming. Looking around, he couldn’t help but feel safe in the place where he had spent his first two years of college. The kitchen no longer smelled like rice and there was no longer a row of shoes lined up next to the door, but it still felt like home.

Sitting down on the couch, Keith shook his head as he realized what he had just done. With a sigh, he leaned back into the couch and felt the seat welcome his weight. If Lance hadn’t returned with the aforementioned blanket in hand, he might’ve drifted right off to sleep again.

“Here ya go, man,” Lance said as he passed his new acquaintance a woven blanket and a square pillow.

“Thanks.” Keith lay the blanket over himself and then propped the pillow to set his aching head down. He sighed into the softness and closed his eyes, only to realize his new host was still standing there. “What?”

“It, uh, it just occurred to me that maybe it’s not that good of an idea to let you sleep if you are too drunk. I won’t look that good if I am found with a stranger’s dead body in my living room.”

“No, I got it–” Keith cleared his throat, “out of my system about an hour ago.”

“Oh, you sure?” Lance questioned.

“I’m sure,” Keith assured him.

“Well, okay then,” Lance turned away and began heading up the stairs again, “good night, Keith.”

“Night.” Was all Keith managed to say before he drifted back to sleep.


	2. Favours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone's curious, the title is based off Soul Secret's album of the same name.

Like most mornings, Lance let his alarm snooze twice before picking his phone up to watch a few random videos on the internet. In a familiar fashion, he could hear Hunk set up the coffee maker and soon enough, Lance found himself feeling more awake just by smelling the roasted coffee’s scent wafting up the hallways. 

Except Hunk wasn’t supposed to be back until at least _two_ more days. 

Upon realizing that, Lance’s smartphone slipped off his hands and smacked him right across the face. He rubbed at his nose with one hand and pocketed the device into his pocket with the other. As he hopped out of his bed, he began recalling the events that had just transpired the night before, subtly questioning how smart his decisions had been. 

As he reached the last stairs, he spotted his new guest pouring freshly made coffee into two mugs. Upon hearing the nearing steps, Keith turned around calmly to greet his host with a nervous smile. “Hey, good morning.”

“Hey man,” Lance said, lightly lifting his chin in greeting. “What are you up to?”

“I woke up a while ago and I was thinking about leaving, but I figured I should at least wait until you came down so I could apologize for yesterday.” Keith pushed one of the mugs across the counter towards his new acquaintance. “Also, I made you coffee, as a thank you.”

“Nah man, it’s no problem.” Lance waved him off and sat down on one of the stools set up beside the counter. “I mean, you did scare me for a while back there, but I guess I could tell you weren’t there to threaten me, y’know?”

“I don’t, actually.” Keith mused, taking a sip from his mug. “I’m not sure I would’ve handled a situation like that the way you did.”

“Well,” Lance looked away, “thinking back to what happened, maybe I should’ve been more careful to make sure it wasn’t some weird ploy to rob me or stab me in my sleep. But hey, I still seem to be in one piece, so we’re good.”

Keith chuckled half-heartedly. “Well, again, I’m really sorry about all that. I know I can be an ass when I drink like that and I’m sorry you had to deal with it.”

“I think I’ve seen worse.” Lance picked up his mug and looked into it. “I’m surprised you don’t seem to be hungover though.”

“I don’t think I get hungover.” Keith mused. “Not yet, anyway.”

Lance set the mug down and crossed his arms on the counter. “Lucky.” They both stood there for a few silent seconds before Keith bowed his head and proceeded to down his coffee.

“I should get going then.” He announced before stepping over to the couch to grab his jacket.

“Oh, alright,” Lance replied. “Well, thanks for the coffee. And uh, good chat!”

“Well, you know what they say, if you stay over at someone’s place, you shouldn’t overstay your welcome expecting breakfast,” Keith said as he put on his jacket. 

Lance grinned, trying not to laugh. 

“What?” Keith asked. 

“Dude,” Lance laughed, “did you just compare this to a _one night stand_?”

Keith was not amused as he watched his host give into his laughter. “You know that’s not what I meant!”

“ _Dios_ mio.” Lance wheezed as he tried to stop laughing. 

Keith tried not to smile, although he couldn’t help that Lance’s laughter was so contagious.

Lance shook his head and tried to pull himself together. “Oh man, you’re funny.”

“Funny?” Keith tilted his head inquisitively. “Well, that’s a first.”

Lance chuckled. “We should hang out more. You’re an upperclassman here, right?”

“I’m a junior,” Keith replied. “I’m guessing you’re a sophomore?”

“Freshman, actually,” Lance corrected.“I took a sabbatic year after high school.”

Keith glanced at the coffee cup beside Lance. “It’s going to get cold soon, you know?”

“Oh.” Lance glanced at the mug. “Right. Sorry, I don’t drink coffee. The coffeemaker is my roommate's.”

Crestfallen, Keith quietly groaned and put his hand over his eyes.

“Dude,” Lance said, “No, listen, it’s not a big deal–”

“I keep _fucking_ things up,” Keith swore before weakly adding, “This whole week has been a _wreck_.”

Lance wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with the situation but he managed to step closer to the frustrated student and pat his back. “Do you, uh, want to talk about it?”

Keith looked up at his new acquaintance. “No, I’ve already been enough of an inconvenience to you..”

“I don’t mind.” Lance insisted.

“Why?” Keith looked confused. “You barely know me.”

“I know enough,” Lance said. “You’re a frustrated college student who is stubborn but means well. _And_ you’re funny but don’t seem to know it.”

Keith was silent as he looked at the ground for a long second before looking up at Lance again. “I don’t really have where to go.”

“What about your brother?” Lance questioned as he guided Keith back to the kitchen. “I might be wrong, but I remember Shiro mentioned you moved to a new apartment in the city together.”

“He lives with his girlfriend.” Keith said dryly as he took a seat on one of the stools “I lived with them for a while but then I did something stupid and I’ve been living on a friend’s couch ever since.”

“For how long?” Lance asked, propping himself up to sit on the kitchen counter in front of Keith.

“Less than a week,” The upperclassman answered,“Yesterday I was dragged along to a party two blocks away and I drank too much. I couldn’t drive back and I couldn’t find my friends, so I guess that's why I found my way here.”

Lance’s eyes widened. “Wait, so where’s your car?”

“Motorcycle.” Keith clarified. “It’s outside. I walked it over here.”

Smiling, Lance perked up. “Okay, I have an idea. First, you should drink that cup of coffee so it doesn’t go to waste.”

“On it.” Keith reached for the mug. 

“Second, you can give me a ride to the city on your bike. I have a few errands I need to run downtown and that way you’ll be repaying me for last night.” Lance counted the steps on his hand. “And third, I remember Shiro. He was a good guy. Even if he kicked you out, I’m sure he’ll listen if you try to apologize.”

Keith nodded solemnly “I’ll do my best, but I’m not sure if I can promise you that third one”

Lance shrugged. “I guess that’s good enough. But you do realize that the third one is more for your own benefit than mine, y’know?”

“Yeah...” Keith thoughtfully said before downing the coffee. “So, when you do want to leave?”

“Give me a few minutes,” Lance turned toward the stairs, “I’ll be right down, okay?”

After changing into a pair of fresh jeans and grabbing his backpack, Lance met Keith outside, where Keith was already waiting on his motorcycle, already wearing his helmet.

“Aw, dude! Your motorcycle is _badass_!” The underclassman shouted as he checked out his new friend’s cruiser bike.

“Thanks.” The older student said with a small smile, handing Lance a spare helmet. “So, where in the city should I drop you off, exactly?”

Grabbing the helmet and putting it on, Lance replied, ”You can leave me by the Central Plaza, most of the places I have to stop by are walking distance from there.”

“You got it,” Keith replied and kicked back the kickstand. He began revving the engine. “Hold on.”

Lance laughed at that but was cut short by the sudden burst of speed, to which he reacted by holding onto Keith’s waist. Together they rode out of the residential area and onto the highway, the wind whipping at their heads and sides. 

“ _Show-off._ ” Lance teased when Keith cut yet another close turn. Keith chuckled in response. 

Soon enough they were weaving through the traffic of the city, inching closer towards the plaza that resided in the middle of it. When Keith slowed to a still on the curb of one of its corner’s, he made a motion to remove his helmet but then seemed to hesitate, deciding only to lift his visor.

Getting off the bike, Lance whistled lowly. “If you ask me, that does a much better job of waking someone up than coffee ever could.” He removed his helmet and handed it to its owner. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Thank you for letting me stay over,” Keith replied in earnest. “So, we’re good?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Lance answered, running a hand through his hair to tousle it. “But, you know, next time you want to crash, maybe you should call in advance.”

Keith rose an eyebrow. “That would make a lot more sense if I had your number.”

Lance chuckled. “Right, right. Lend me your phone.”

Keith handed him his phone, where Lance typed out his number and name. Then he gave himself a quick ring, so he could save Keith’s number later on. 

Handing the phone back, Lance gave him a smile. “Or, you know, you could also just call me if you want to hang out or something.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Keith pulled down his visor.

“Just one more thing,” Lance added, “Talk to Shiro, alright?”

Keith sighed and nodded. “Alright, I’ll try.”

“See you around, Keith,” Lance called out over the revving of the engine. 

The upperclassman offered him a casual salute before riding off, soon disappearing from sight.

Lance’s phone vibrated with a text message.

_ Hunk: Are you still alive?? _

Lance hit the call button and began making his way across the Plaza. Hunk picked up immediately. 

“Morning, Hunk.” Lance cheerfully greeted. “You’re not going to _believe_ what happened...”


	3. Texts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a reference; Keith is 20, Lance is 19, Pidge is 17, Shiro is 23 and Hunk is 18 but soon to turn 19.

 

“I still can’t believe you have a crush on the guy that snuck into our house a week ago.” Hunk said as he dipped his tortilla chip into guacamole.

“It’s not a crush!” Lance replied, tired of making the clarification over and over again. “I just think he’s cute and I wish he’d call.”

“Sounds like a crush to me.” Offered their friend Pidge, who was sprawled on the sofa.

“Just call him,” Hunk insisted, “Tell him you wanted to know if he talked to his brother yet.”

Lance pulled off the rubber cleaning gloves he was wearing and picked up his phone, checking through his notifications. Once a month, Hunk and Lance hosted viewing parties for their favourite series. Four to eight people would come and they’d all watch it with snacks. They had just finished about two hours ago, so Lance was cleaning up while Hunk and Pidge finished the leftovers.

“Speaking of people who crash,” Hunk began, “Pidge, will you be taking off soon or will you stay over?”

“Not today, Hunk. As much as I’d like to, I have an early class tomorrow.” Pidge lazily got off from the sofa and put on a coat. “But hey, let me know what we’re going to do on your birthday, okay? And bring me something from your next baking class.”

Hunk nodded. At first, he was majoring in engineering and doing rather well, but eventually, he felt like he wanted to switch his major to his true passion: gastronomy. Because of this, Hunk was a freshman just like Pidge and Lance.

“I should’ve asked Keith what he was majoring in,” Lance mused, “I never see him on our campus.”

“Seriously, Lance,” Pidge drawled, “Just call him.”

“Be safe, Pidge,” Lance replied, slightly distracted.

“Text us when you get to your dorm!” Hunk called out as their youngest friend walked out the door.

Lance threw himself onto the sofa and sighed.

“I worry about you.” Hunk said.

“Maybe I should just let it go.” Lance pondered out loud.

“Maybe it's for the best.” Hunk offered. “If you keep going on like this, I have a feeling I’ll catch you trying to sniff the blanket he used to see if his scent is still there.”

Lance rose his eyebrows.

“Why am I giving you ideas?” Hunk lamented.

Lance shook his head. “No, gross, he was drunk! I threw his blanket and pillow into the laundry basket as soon as I got back. I doubt it smelled all that great.”

Hunk chuckled and then proceeded to take the remaining bowls of snacks to the kitchen. “I’ll finish up here and then I’m going to bed.”

“Alright, buddy,” Lance replied, ‘Thanks.“

“No problem.” Hunk washed up quickly and then left the plates to dry. Making his way up the stairs, he yawned, “Good night, Lance.”

“Good night, Hunk.” Lance drawled from his place in the couch, where he was going through his phone.

After going through his social networks, he found himself staring at one particular number in his call long. He pressed on it for a long second until an option text box popped up: _call_ or _delete?_

Lance took a deep breath and closed his eyes before making a decision. When he opened his eyes, he realized the screen wasn’t showing an updated call log, but instead, it showed an outgoing call screen. His eyes widened as he realized his mistake, but just as he was about to cancel the call, Keith picked up.

He pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” Lance greeted with uncertainty.

“Lance.” Keith greeted back. “I’m surprised, I was just thinking about calling you.”

Lance perked up at that. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Keith replied, his voice lowering to something more serious. “I decided to talk to Shiro. I’m on my way to his apartment right now, actually.”

“Oh?” Lance stood up and began to pace the room. “That’s great, I’m glad.”

“He didn’t really kick me out,” The upperclassman explained, “I ran away because I wanted to avoid an argument I knew we were going to have. It took me this long to realize that because I don’t tend to run away from conflict, I’d like to think I usually face things head-on.”

“I’m sure it’ll turn out better than you’re expecting,” Lance reassured him.

“I hope you’re right,” Keith replied in earnest, “I’m at a gas station right now, filling up the tank. I thought about calling you to gain some courage just now.”

“Did I help?” Lance asked.

“You did.” There was a slight trace of a smile in that response. “I’m glad you called.”

“Me too,” Lance replied.

“I should get going,” Keith said, hesitantly.

“Alright,” The underclassman said, “Well, good night. And good luck!”

“Thank you, Lance,” The voice on the phone replied, “Good night.”

The call ended and Lance pocketed the phone. He stood there for a while, bathed in the moonlight pouring in from the living room window. Somehow, that call felt far more intimate than anything he could’ve expected. In his mind, he replayed the way Keith said good night, his voice barely above a whisper.

A few minutes later, Lance trudged up the stairs and shut himself in his bedroom. After quickly brushing his teeth, he got between his sheets and let his weight sink into the mattress. He lay there for a minute before turning to his side, reaching over to grab his phone on the bedside table. He began typing.

_Tell me how it goes, ok?_

Having done that, he put back his phone and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Lance reached for his phone to snooze his alarm only to pause as he remembered what happened last night. Switching off his alarm, he looked at his main screen and eagerly tapped on a text waiting to be open.

_Keith: You were right._

_Keith: We worked things out, in the end, he was more angry about how I ran away and doubted him._

_Keith: Honestly, I still don’t know how to thank you for all this._

_Keith: Maybe,_

_Keith: You’ll let me take you out, sometime?_

“Oh my god.” Lance gawked at the text.

He hopped out of bed and read out the text once more, clapping a hand over his mouth. Then, upon hearing a door crack open down the hall, he rushed to open his own.

“Hunk!” Lance stumbled out of his door just as Hunk walked out of his room. “Keith asked me out.”

His housemate gave him a confused look before understanding dawned upon him and he gasped. “Keith, your crush?!”

“ _Yeah_ , Keith, my crush!” Lance shouted, excitedly pumping his fists. He felt joy bubble in every crevice of his being.

“ _He_ asked _you_?” Hunk inquired, equally as excited.

“He asked me through a text,” Lance explained, shouting as he made his way down the stairs. “After I called him yesterday.”

“And what did you text back?” Hunk asked excitedly. “Dude, I told you all you had to do was call!”

“Nothing yet.” Lance propped himself up on the kitchen counter and his smile slowly turned into a thoughtful look. “What should I say?”

“Don’t think about it too much.” Hunk advised. “The guy likes you already, just be yourself.”

“You’re right, man,” Lance realized. He read the string of texts again and then began typing.

_Only as long as you pick me up on your motorcycle. When are you available? :)_

Hunk snatched up the phone and read the string of texts before looking up at his friend curiously.

“Too much?” Lance asked, suddenly a bit worried.

He chuckled as he returned Lance his phone. “No, that’s Lance alright.”

Lance scrolled through the string of messages. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”

“This calls for a celebratory breakfast!” Hunk announced. “What do you think? Pancakes?”

“This is why you’re my best friend,” Lance said as he hopped off the counter to give Hunk a side hug, which he happily returned before getting to work.

Half an hour later, both teens paused their eating when they heard Lance’s phone vibrate. They shared a look before Lance reached out to open the text.

_Keith: Deal._

_Keith: Tomorrow?_

Lance grinned as he excitedly typed back.

_Tomorrow!_

Just as Lance picked up his fork and knife to eat again, the phone vibrated.

 _Keith: I’ll pick you up at 4_.

Hunk chuckled.

“What?” Lance asked, still grinning from ear to ear.

“Who would’ve thought Lance McClain would be the type to go out with a guy he met in his bed?” Hunk teased.

Lance’s jaw fell open. “ _Hunk_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I could set up the publication date so it would automatically post on Monday, but apparently, I can't do that. So I'm publishing on the same date as the last chapter, enjoy!


	4. Neon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I honestly don't know how many chapters this is gonna be. But we're far past the original description of a "three-part one-shot".

“So, where are we going?” Lance inquired as he followed Keith’s path towards the motorcycle.

“It’s kind of a surprise,” Keith thoughtfully answered. Reaching his motorcycle, he grabbed his helmet and put it on before handing Lance the spare.

“Oh, yeah?” The underclassman expressed as he received the helmet.  “No offence but I didn’t pin you down as the spontaneous type, I’m surprised. In a good way.”

“Strange.” Keith mused, “You’d think having a complete stranger crashing into your bed would be enough spontaneity for the two of us.”

Lance’s threw his head back laughing, something Keith seemed to neither expect nor know what to do with. “Dude, see?” He aimed an honest gaze at him. “You’re funny.”

A smile tugged at the edges of Keith’s mouth when he softly said, “C’mon.” Swinging a leg over the motorcycle, Lance got on the seat and fumbled a bit before lightly holding onto Keith, who promptly pushed back the kickstand.

Watching the neighbourhood houses pass by in a flash, Lance marvelled at how his neighbourhood had once been Keith’s as well. It was a thought that had often echoed at the back of his head when he was at home. If he was lying in his room, he wondered what the room looked like when Keith lived there. When he ate at the counter, he wondered if Keith ate at the same spot, if it was Keith or Shiro who cooked most often, if they had the same taste in breakfast cereal.

After all that, it was certainly odd to have Keith right in front of him. Someone who had lived so actively in his thoughts, suddenly right there. Lance realized how easy it would be to lean closer at a traffic light and ask him one of those many questions. The thought quickly vanished when Keith took a turn into a parking lot in front of a bowling alley.

“So,” Lance expressed with excitement once the motorcycle engine was shut off. “We’re going bowling?”

“For now.” Keith removed his helmet. “This is mostly to get a quick bite and to buy us some time for what I have planned later on.”

“Well, I gotta warn you,” Lance said, hopping off of the motorcycle, “I’m really good at bowling, like, _really_ good.”

“Yeah?” His date played along.

Lance chuckled cockily as they both walked into the bowling alley. “Let’s make this interesting. In each round, the person that gets the best score gets to ask the other a question and you have to answer with _complete_ honesty.”

Keith seemed to consider it.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” Lance encouraged.

“Well, what if we have a tie?” His date asked.

Lance thought about it for half a second. “Then we both get to ask a question. So, are you in?”

Still looking a bit doubtful, Keith sighed in defeat. “Okay, fine, I’m in, but don’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t!” Lance assured him with a smile.

They both got their shoes at the counter and headed up to their lane, where they input their names onto a screen that displayed their empty scorecards. The screen signalled Keith to go first.

Keith promptly picked out a bowling ball and rolled his first shots, scoring eight out of ten pins. Lance followed by barely scoring seven.

“Don’t get too confident, I’m just letting you get a headstart,” Lance claimed in defence.

Keith chuckled. “Sure.”

“What’s your question?” Lance prompted.

“Hmm.” Keith shifted the weight of his ball from one hand to the other. “Why don’t you drink coffee?”

“Well,” Lance began, “I never really got used to the taste of coffee, I guess. I never liked the taste. It drove my family insane because they all grew up drinking _cafe con leche_ since they were kids, but I always insisted on hot chocolate or warm milk instead.”

“Is your entire family latin?” Keith asked.

“One question per turn, Keith.” Lance retorted, gesturing at the lane.

In a swift motion, Keith managed to knock down nine out of the ten pins in his first shot. In his second shot, he missed the last pin by half an inch, but it did not deter him. He made no effort in hiding his smirk as he turned back to Lance. Lance then scored a total of six pins.

He quickly got over his shock at his score as he turned to Keith and recalled more memories of his family, “We’re all Cuban. I grew up in Varadero with nearly all of my extended family and moved to the States after finishing middle school over there.”

“Cuban,” Keith said, sounding out the word in surprise, which Lance found adorable. “That’s cool.”

To both their surprise, they managed to tie seven-to-seven in their next turn.

“Say something in your native language.” Keith offered, his voice softer and curiosity.

After a second, Lance figured out something that wouldn’t be too easy to translate. “Me agrada cuando tu voz es as **í** de suave.” _I like it when your voice turns soft like that_. Lance was glad to see Keith fail to register its meaning. “Alright, it’s my turn. Say something in _your_ native language. Assuming it’s not English, of course.”

“English _is_ my first language, actually.” Keith clarified. “But I do know some Japanese.”

“That works,” Lance replied. Keith then said a flurry of words that Lance could not comprehend whatsoever, which was a sour taste of his own medicine.

Keith aimed a small, knowing smile at him before stepping up to the lane to score eight pins. Lance followed by scoring a total of ten. It was his turn to smirk as he turned to face his date. “What do you usually eat for breakfast?”

His date seemed slightly surprised at the question, but it didn’t take him long to answer, “It’s usually a small rice bowl with an omelette, or with a fried egg. Sometimes it’s just a muffin and coffee.”

“That sounds like a Cuban breakfast my mum used to make!” Lance replied enthusiastically, “ _Huevos rancheros_. It’s a fried egg on a corn _tortilla_ with vegetables and cheese, all served on top of brown rice.”

“Well, mine’s usually plain white rice with the egg. Maybe some seaweed and scallions, but not much else.” Keith mused as he grabbed his bowling ball.

“You _definitely_ have to try Huevos Rancheros though.” Lance encouraged, “I think you’d like it.”

Keith scored a perfect ten on his first shot.

“Oh, it’s _on_ ,” Lance replied as he stepped onto his lane with newfound determination. He took careful aim and scored a ten as well, although it took him two shots. “So, do you come here a lot?”

“Isn’t that a pick-up line?” Lance opened his mouth to answer. “Wait, no, don’t answer that.”

Lance chuckled, “I’m genuinely curious about your choice of venue. Don’t worry, you still have your question.”

“I usually came here with a group of coworkers, and then I used to come with a close friend of mine.” Lance took notice of how Keith carefully picked the words to describe the ‘close friend’. “But we usually came for the pool tables, although we did bowl sometimes.”

“You ride a motorcycle _and_ play pool? Somehow, it makes sense.” Lance leaned closer. “Are you part of a gang, by any chance?”

Keith laughed along. Lance took a second to enjoy their closeness, how they were surrounded by dark, moody hues of neon purple, but their faces were lit up by their lane’s screen overhead. His date turned to look at him expectantly, so he replied, “It’s your turn.”

“To be honest,” Keith turned his gaze to the bowling ball in his hand, “I’m curious about what you said in Spanish.”

“ _Ah_.” Lance looked away as well before meeting his gaze again. “I said I liked your voice.”

Keith held the gaze for a second more. “Oh, thanks.” He then stepped towards the lane, where he scored a total of five pins. Lance scored a total of nine.

“So,” Lance began, “What did you say in Japanese?”

Keith seemed to expect the question. “I am speaking Japanese.”

Lance was slightly disappointed. “You’re kidding.” Keith shook his head before turning to play the next turn.

Having scored higher, it was Lance’s turn to ask, “Tell me a hint about what you have planned for tonight.”

“That’s not a question though.” Keith retorted.

“It counts!.” Lance insisted,  “C’mon.”

“Um,” Keith thought about it. “Cheesecake?”

“Keith, your mysterious surprise better not be The Cheesecake Factory.” Lance teased with a certain degree of wariness.

“It’s _Japanese_ cheesecake.” Keith clarified, “And the cheesecake has _nothing_ to do with the location. Now quit trying to ruin the surprise.”

Lance laughed, “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. If it helps, I really do like cheesecake. Although I’ve never tried a Japanese cheesecake.” That made Keith smile, although Lance only saw it for a second before he turned to the bowling lane again.

The winner of the round was Lance again. “How did my room look when you lived there?”

Keith seemed to be surprised by the question once more, but he promptly replied, “It was definitely less cluttered.”

“Hey!” Lance interrupted, “That’s not my fault, I _wasn’t_ expecting guests.”

A smile tugged at Keith’s mouth as he continued, “Well, the bed was on the opposite wall, facing the window instead of the door. And I didn’t have anything on my walls. Why’d you ask?”

“No reason,” Lance replied. His date seemed to doubt the answer but continued to play. After a few more rounds, they learned about their favourite colours (red & blue), how many pets Lance had as a kid (14), whether Keith had ever tried Cuban food (yes), if Lance had tried Korean barbecue (an enthusiastic yes!) and if Keith had ever seen Lance’s favourite TV show (Keith only read the books it was based on, which he claimed to be better—an answer Lance pretended not to hear—). When their final scores were added up, the screen announced Lance had won by a few points. He reacted with a victory dance that Keith cut short by dragging his date to the diner that was joined with the bowling alley.

They both got burgers and talked about their favourite foods from their cultures. Lance listened intently when Keith described the arduous process of how to make the perfect Japanese omelette and how it frustrated Keith that he had never seen Shiro mess up. It was easy for Lance to imagine Keith and Shiro back in their old house, making a fuss in the kitchen. He imagined a home that subtly smelled like jasmine rice, with shoes neatly laid out by the front door. Somehow, it still felt like home. 

He was so enraptured by the thought, that he barely registered when Keith said, "Alright, let's go. I don't want us to miss the sunset."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for helping me reach 500+ hits! Every kudos and comment means so much to me ❤️
> 
> I'm uploading the next chapter later today (October 1st) :) Stay tuned!


	5. Outlook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay, I rewrote the ending several times because I was never quite satisfied. But I've got the ending figured out and drafted, so (hopefully) the rest of chapters will play out smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to keep you guys on edge with the cliffhanger, but it works out best this way, trust me.

“The Silver Moon Hotel?” Lance questioned as he looked up the massive building Keith stopped in front of. “This is a joke, right?”

“No, it isn’t.” Keith subtly shook his head as he smiled knowingly, motioning Lance over to the revolving doors set into the middle of the grand entrance.

As they both pushed through the doors, Lance continued with his scepticism, “To your credit, I’m going to assume we’re just dining here. And even if that’s your plan, you do know it’s hella expensive, right?” He paused. “Wait, didn’t we just eat?”

Lance was suddenly feeling self-conscious about the situation while also entertaining the appealing idea that Keith might be rich. On the other hand, he was also starting to realize Keith seemed to have grown somewhat nervous at the unspoken implications Lance was hinting at.

“Relax, we’re going to the Sky Bar.” Keith then grumbled, “There, now the mystery is gone.”

“Oh.” Realization dawned upon Lance, “Oh, wow, now I feel like an asshole.”

“It’s fine,” Keith stated, getting into an elevator with Lance. “I didn’t consider you’d think... that.”

Feeling an awkward silence coming up, Lance did his best to evade it, “So… cheesecake on the Sky Bar? That’s unexpected.”

It seemed to make Keith feel somewhat better. “Well, I guess I didn’t really give all of the surprise away.”

Lance smiled at the thought. “Now that I think about it, I’ve never been to a Skybar, I’ve only seen them in ads and movies. I’m excited!”

To Lance’s surprise, he felt a subtle brush of skin near his knuckle. He looked towards his date, who feigned interest in the glowing buttons in front of him, and then glanced down at his hand, that had moved towards his own. Feeling his face warm up, he also chose to look at the growing numbers on the elevator display, but not before letting his hand wrap into the warmth of Keith’s.

When the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, Lance found himself looking at the bright expanse of the sky before them, a vast canvas of blue with clouds and corners lined with gold, a clue that the sun would soon begin to set.

If it weren’t for Keith’s gentle tug, Lance might’ve forgotten to walk out of the elevator. Together, they made their way to the glass-and-metal railings at the very edge of the building. To Lance’s disappointment, Keith let go of his hand to lean his arms over the railing. However, they were close enough that their elbows were nearly touching, which somehow made up for it.

Their comfortable silence was subtly interrupted by the sound of heels of an approaching waitress, who kindly welcomed them to the place, “May I lead you to a table for two?”

“Actually,” Keith answered, “I have a reservation under the name Shirogane.”

A sort of recognition and surprise dawned upon the waitress as her smile widened. “I see.” She turned towards the bar, “Please, follow me.”

“Shirogane?” Lance asked politely.

“Shiro’s full name is Takashi Shirogane but, as you know, he goes by Shiro,” Keith explained as they followed behind the waitress.

Lance was about to ask something else when he took in the large bar in front of them and suddenly became worried. “Keith, just to be clear, you know we’re going to get carded, right?”

Keith leaned closer to Lance, “Trust me.”

In response, Lance reached to intertwine their hands again. The waitress led them past a door set beside the bar, where a kitchen was set with several waiters and cooks beginning their preparations for the evening. Upon crossing the kitchens, they walked through another set of double doors that led to another open space almost identical to the sky bar, except for the fact there was only one table set there, with a picnic basket set on top of it.

Completely taken by surprise, Lance turned to look at the waitress, who only offered him a small, sweet smile before disappearing behind the doors. Turning towards Keith, he chuckled as he realized just how elaborate the whole plan had been. For once, he found it hard to say everything he was thinking, “You… you didn’t strike me as the elaborately thoughtful type, what with how we met and all. And now I’m thinking, it’s either that or you must really, _really_ like me.”

Before replying, Keith went as far as to pull out Lance’s chair for him. Lance’s eyebrows curved upwards in further surprise as he accepted the seat, “Okay, I’m becoming more and more convinced you just really like me.”

Keith smiled nervously, looking away at the view, where the sun was peeking above the skyline, turning the edges of the world pink and orange. “I’ve never been on a date before. Not in this formal ‘pick you up at 4’ way, anyway. A lot of this was actually Shiro’s idea. He has worked as a waiter here for two years and _this,_ ” he motioned at the area, “is a venue the hotel offers as a reception for parties. They waiters rotate their shifts to cater for the events, which is how Shiro figured out it wouldn’t be used today. Because he works an earlier shift that just caters to hotel guests, he managed to set this up before we got here.”

“Even though I can tell you’re giving your brother all the credit, I’m still really impressed with you,” Lance admitted.

Keith looked down at his hands, “He’s not really my brother. Not in the biological sense.”

He paused to look up at Lance, who gestured for him to continue.

“His parents and my parents were really close friends, so I knew Shiro since I was very young,” Keith explained, “They were so close that... when I lost my parents, I was left in the care of the Shiroganes. Ever since, I grew up like one of them.“

“I’m sorry,” Lance replied. Keith shook his head, which would usually come across as dismissive, but Lance knew it was his way of saying it was okay.

“Shiro has been there for me since I can remember.” Lance took note of that subtle crack in Keith’s voice when he spoke about delicate matters, which the Cuban boy found incredibly adorable. “I don’t know how I thought I could just run away from him like that. I… really owe you for having insisted I talk to him. Nobody else did.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Lance stated in earnest, surprised Keith might even say that. “I’m just glad you could sort it out.” In truth, a small, irrational part of Lance worried this was just Keith’s way of making up for everything, and not a proper date.

Keith smiled reassuringly from across the table. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Lance replied, “And hey, thank you for _this_. I’m really having a good time.”

Suddenly, Keith’s smile turned into a smirk. “Wait until you try the cheesecake.”

“Oh damn, I almost forgot!” Lance sat up straighter, watching excitedly as Keith opened up the picnic basket.

After having pulled out a simple little cake box, Keith’s eyebrows knit together as he focused on another content of the picnic basket, “Apparently,” He pulled out a bottle and two glasses, “Shiro also got us wine.”

“Oh, _fancy,_ ” Lance noted in a slightly teasing voice, reaching for the wine glasses to help him pour it out. Then, Keith opened the box to reveal a small cheesecake, the perfect size for two. Instead of the more elaborate cheesecakes Lance was used to, this one had no crust or elaborate toppings, it was just a simple fluffy-textured wheel of cake.

Keith offered him a fork and gestured for him to give it a try. Digging in, Lance took his first taste. The softness of the cake was beyond any other texture he had ever tried and the taste was amazing yet quite subtle, but in a way that only made him want to have more of it.

“What do you think?” His date asked, carefully watching his reactions.

“It’s goooood.” Lance replied before taking another bite. “Get in while there’s still some left.” Keith did just that, with the same level of enthusiasm for the delicacy.

Eventually, they both settled to a calmer pace as they finished it and stopped to watch the sky colour and darken, along with the lights of the city twinkling to life. Once the cake was finished, Lance took a hold of his wine glass and raised it, “To great first dates.” Keith seemed slightly overwhelmed by that, but toasted to it anyway. Soon enough, at Lance's suggestion, they brought their glasses of wine along to the railings, where they watched the city lights together.

“You know,” Lance began, “after this, my expectations for first dates are probably going to be really hard to overcome. It’s really cool that Shiro is so supportive.”

“Yeah...” Keith agreed with a faraway look, seemingly taken to other thoughts.

However, Lance has seen that look enough times to know it was something akin to guilt. “What did you guys fight about? I mean, if you don’t telling me.”

Keith kept that faraway look for a second before sighing, “It was my mistake. I’ve always trusted him like nobody else, but when it came to my sexuality, I couldn’t tell him. He never gave me any reason to not to, but I figured I’d get the courage to tell him eventually, when I was ready.

“But last year I realized I had feelings for one of my closest friends, Oliver. I didn’t think he’d reciprocate, but when he did, we just seemed to transition from friends to more than friends. We’d hang out just like before, but it was different. And because it all happened so fast, I never managed to tell Shiro. By the time Oliver and I were already seeing each other for more than two months, I felt too guilty to tell Shiro I’d been hiding it for so long. At the time, Oliver wanted to officially become my boyfriend, but he could tell I was not ready. Since he was willing to wait for me, I thought it would be fine.

“Oliver insisted on coming over to my apartment since we were always at his. Because Shiro told me he was spending the weekend with Allura, I figured it was fine. I didn’t expect them to come back to the apartment, so when Shiro walked in and saw us together, he was angry. I was so convinced that he was angry at my sexuality, that when he slammed the door on us, I immediately started packing things and I pleaded Oliver to let me stay over at his apartment until I could figure things out. But he felt I was ashamed of him, so he refused and stormed out. While running after him, Shiro stopped me and told me we needed to talk. I refused, mostly out of fear of what he would say, and I bolted. Eventually, I had to stay with another friend, who was the person that dragged me along to that awful party I went to before I met you.

“I was in a bad place, both literally and figuratively,” Keith’s lips tugged into a smile as Lance chuckled at that, “so I went to a place I used to call home, where I found you.”

Keith’s hand slipped through Lance’s short hair, his thumb gently brushing his cheek. Lance leaned into his touch, eyes attentive as he listened. “You listened when I needed someone to talk to but couldn’t admit it, and you told me everything I needed to hear. Once I talked with Shiro, I felt like nothing was holding me back, like I could finally be myself and more, so I asked you out even though I was almost convinced you’d say no.”

“Why would you think that?” Lance asked, genuinely uncertain.

“I was convinced you were straight.” Keith admitted, seemingly realizing just how wrong he was.

“Really?” Lance chuckled, “Because I was certain you weren’t.” Upon seeing Keith raise one of his eyebrows, he explained, “You lingered a lot. Most guys would swear and apologize once when they figure out they did something wrong. And then, _if_ there’s a next morning, they might apologize once more, but only on their way out the door. But you—both while sober and drunk—you lingered. Like you were waiting for something. Like now.”

Lance watched as Keith looked at him intently, no longer looking like he was searching for something, but rather like he had found it. Leaning in, Lance tilted his head to a side and felt their lips meet in a gentle brush, before they both moved closer for more. He felt the warmth of Keith’s hand and lips in stark contrast with the crisp night that enveloped them. The arm he had wrapped around Keith in that moment now stretched upwards, where his hand stroked Keith’s soft strands of hair.

And yet, far too soon, Keith pulled away. For a few seconds, they both stood in silence, breathing in time as they contemplated one another. But Keith looked away, sighing, “Lance, I– I can't... I think I need to sort some things out.”


End file.
